Dunhuang is an oasis on the very edge of China and two deserts – Taklamakan and Gobi. It is famous for its crescent-shaped lake and the ancient Chinese outpost that was located here.
Yueyaquan is a lake and oasis in the Chinese province of Kansu. The lake is located 6 km south of Dunhuang in the Gobi Desert.
Among the sands on the border of the Taklamakan and Gobi Desert lies a small crescent-shaped lake. It was here in the II century BC. the Chinese established the Shazhou military post (the ancient name of Dunhuang) by order of the Emperor Wu Di. By this time, the fortifications of Yumenguan (“Jade Gate”) and Yangguan, through which the Great Silk Road passed, had already been completed on the Great Wall of China. Thus, Dunhuang becomes the “gateway” to the Celestial Empire. For millennia, hundreds of caravans have passed through Dunhuang, laden with goods ranging from precious stones to crops.
Lake Yueyatsuan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tourists are offered camel or jeep tours.
Today ,the lake with its pagoda , the “singing” sand dunes (Mingsha Shan) and the surrounding desert is a very popular destination.
Access : Coordinates: 40.086667, 94.669444 / Location : Crescent lake oasis located, 6 km south of the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province, China.
Highlights :
- As an oasis, it was an important point of contact for travelers on the Silk Road.The Dunhuang Oasis was considered one of the main resting places for caravans after a long journey through the hostile sands.The lake was once called a miracle of nature by the English missionaries Ellis Mildred Keble and Francesca Lau French, who described it in their book “The Gobi Desert”. Unfortunately, Yueyatsuan is gradually growing shallow.
- Yueyatsuan : is a crescent-shaped lake in the Dunhuang oasis, 5 km south-west of the city of Dunhuang (Gansu province, China) An ancient Buddhist temple and several buildings have been erected next to it.
- Singing Sand Dunes : Dunhuang oasis rounded by high dunes.known as the “Gods’ Sand Dunes” are the sand dunes that, when the wind blows, give out a singing or drumming sound. ( Singing Sand Dunes- Mingsha Shan) of the Kumtag Desert, is part of the Taklamakan Desert.
- The outpost was built with the aim of protecting the section of the Great Silk Road, which began in this place, from raids. This outpost gave birth to the name of the place – “Dunhuang” is translated as “sparkling”. The fact is that the lights of the outpost illuminated the way for travelers and from a distance were visible to the caravans going to China.
- The legend, according to an old legend, in the lake there is a kind of fish and a kind of plant that if you eat both you will live forever.
- there are frequent tourist activities in the vicinity by camel or all-terrain vehicle.
Go next : Mingsha Mountain , a sandy mountain near the famous tourist destination of Dunhuang / Mogao Caves / Jade Gate (Yumen Pass).
